Transport in Hammersmith & Fulham During Covid (1)

Tony Devenish: The answers to FOI requests have revealed that neither Hammersmith & Fulham Council nor the Council’s Cycling and Walking Residents Commission have produced new evaluations of cycle usage, bus usage and motor vehicle usage in Hammersmith & Fulham during the Covid pandemic. Do you recognise that the failure to do so is a dereliction of duty?

The Mayor: As part of the emergency response to the Coronavirus pandemic, Transport for London (TfL) and London boroughs are continuing to make excellent progress implementing temporary projects across London which enable people to choose active modes of transport in order to travel safely, while avoiding a car-based recovery and the increased pollution and congestion that would result.
As I said in my response to Mayor’s Question 2020/4226, I am encouraged that Hammersmith & Fulham Council is engaging and listening to local people through its Resident’s Commission in order to achieve the best outcome for the community for any changes it proposes to respond to the ongoing pandemic. Data is being collected across London, much of it by TfL, to more broadly understand changing travel patterns as the pandemic progresses.

London becoming a dementia-friendly city by 2022 (1)

Caroline Pidgeon: Is the removal of the ability to pay by cash at London Underground and London Overground stations in conflict with your commitment to make London a dementia-friendly city by 2022? What consultation with organisations representing people with dementia has TfL undertaken on its current proposals to completely remove cash payments and to expect people to use Ticket Stops which they might not be familiar with? Please also state whether any consultation was undertaken with organisations representing people with dementia before the initial removal of cash payments at the majority of London Underground stations.

The Mayor: In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Transport for London (TfL) has temporarily operated nearly 200 of its London Underground stations (approximately 70 per cent) as cashless since May 2020. Since then, TfL has been engaging with a range of organisations, including those that represent older people and customers with dementia, to better understand the potential impact that going cashless at those stations still accepting cash might have on customers. In response to the feedback received to date, TfL has decided not to proceed with any further temporary changes at this time. It will keep under review what the appropriate payment options should be on the TfL network, and will continue to engage with stakeholders, including those representing customers with dementia, on any future changes.

Delivery board membership

Unmesh Desai: You have said that a board will oversee the delivery of your action plan on ‘Transparency, accountability and trust in policing’. Who will co-Chair this board with the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime; when, and how, will membership be agreed; and how often will it meet?

The Mayor: The delivery of my Action Plan will be overseen by the new Disproportionality Board, which will meet quarterly with the first taking place in summer 2021. The Board will sit within the London Crime Reduction Board structure to provide oversight, sharing of best practice as well as problem solving to tackle racial and ethnic disproportionality across the Criminal Justice System and to enable partnership, leadership and delivery of my Action Plan for transparency, accountability and trust in policing. The Board will be co-chaired by my Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Sophie Linden. Details of the membership, the terms of reference and the process for identifying a co-chair are being currently being developed.

LFB Staff Welfare (2)

Andrew Dismore: How has LFB improved support for the mental wellbeing of staff during the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly those who have worked on the frontline either with PMART or LAS?

The Mayor: All London Fire Brigade (LFB) staff have been able to access counselling with the Brigade’s Counselling and Trauma Service (CTS). Access to immediate support is available 24/7 via an emergency counsellor and a text support service for Blue Light Personnel has been promoted to LFB staff. A network was created to provide additional support to officers detached on PMART or LAS duties and trained Mental Health First Aiders and volunteers made regular proactive support calls to detached officers after their shifts, offering support and signposting when a counselling intervention was required.
Following the second request for volunteers to assist LAS, LFB attended regular meetings with LAS supervisory managers to discuss the support the volunteers would need. At the point a volunteer begins work with LAS, LFBline managers will appoint a local officer to maintain contact throughout the time the volunteer is working with LAS to ensure they are supported.

Child Houses (1)

Susan Hall: After the 2015 NHS England (London) review recommended that 5 Child Houses be implemented across the capital, has this been done?

The Mayor: The Lighthouse (Child House) is the UK’s first and currently only Child House. It is based in Camden and provides services for children and young people across Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington who have been sexually abused. Originally, a two-year pilot (opening in October 2018), the service has been extended until March 2022. NHS England (London) is currently working on a Child Sexual Abuse Transformation Programme that will look at improving services and equity of provision across the whole of London in response to their own review’s recommendations. My Office for Policing And Crime is actively working with NHSE on their plans and will use our convening power to help explore funding that would be required from other partners to improve the offer across London.

Brexit and Policing – European Arrest Warrant

Unmesh Desai: How many requests for extradition have been made by the Met Police to European Union Member states since the end of the Brexit transition period? How many European states have refused extradition requests so far?

The Mayor: This information is held by the NCA. UK International Crime Bureau (UKICB) within the NCA are responsible for the UK National Central Bureau for INTERPOL. These units are responsible for transmitting extradition requests.

Tax implications of working from another country

Caroline Pidgeon: What assessment has GLA’s human resources made of the tax implications of staff who have chosen to work from home in the pandemic from another country? How many staff does this currently apply to across the GLA and functional bodies?

The Mayor: The GLA HR Unit have worked with our colleagues in GLA Finance and also the Legal Team in TfL to determine the implications of GLA staff working from abroad. The implications are not limited to tax and there are also possible employment law, and health and safety implications for the employee and employer. These implications are relevant for all GLA staff.
Senior managers in the GLA have been advised to seek guidance from HR should there be any requests from staff to work abroad.
As of 21 December 2020 there were two GLA members of staff working from home in the pandemic from another country.
Each of the functional bodies is addressing the issue about staff working overseas and making decisions based on their own terms and conditions of employment.
The numbers of staff in the functional bodies who have chosen to work from home in the pandemic from another country are:

Tier 4 car travel

Unmesh Desai: Please advise how many cars Met Police officers have stopped to check for breaches of Tier 4 restrictions put in place relating to travelling out of London.

The Mayor: The requested information is not recorded by the MPS. Police Officers have not been actively checking people’s journeys but have been following the 4Es approach and will therefore be inquisitive in their engagements with members of the public, whether that’s on foot or in vehicles, to ensure that legislation is adhered to.

Officer assault locations

Unmesh Desai: If possible, please provide details of where assaults on officers took place by type of location (e.g. outside, in custody suites, inside private residences/venues) in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

The Mayor: The number of assaults against police officers over the last four years is set out in the table below. There is a very diverse range of location type recorded, the most frequent of which are also included in the table.
2017
2018
2019
2020
Grand total
Total Assaults
5587
5874
6479
8036
25976
Location
Street
2567
2747
2932
3539
11785
Police building
589
526
622
820
2557
Hospital
271
296
335
428
1330
Flat/Maisonette
320
364
489
638
1811
House/Bungalow
93
104
110
150
457
Semi-detached
135
157
130
224
646
Terraced
238
263
313
353
1167
Council owned
156
136
154
203
649
Not known
157
163
212
342
874
‘Other’
1061
1118
1182
1339
4700

Pupil Referral Unit safer schools officers

Unmesh Desai: How many in total and what portion of safer schools officers are based within Pupil Referral Units (PRUs)? Please provide details as to how many are based in PRUs permanently or part time, if possible.

The Mayor: There are currently 457 schools and youth officers; 50 of those are Pupil Referral Unit officers.
9 of these PRU officers are permanently aligned to only one Pupil Referral Unit
The remaining 41 cover at least one PRU and may also cover other PRUs, alternative provisions, and/or mainstream schools.
PRUs are priority establishments and officer support is based on risk and demand.

TfL Sick Leave

Keith Prince: Giving a yearly breakdown for 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 to date, please outline how many days of sick leave TfL staff have taken? Please also provide a breakdown of the reasons given for sick leave being taken.

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) prioritises the health and wellbeing of its colleagues and is working to address its top-level reasons for sickness absence. TfL has a range of support options to help staff, including a dedicated Occupational Health team and a dedicated staff-led group that focuses on mental health. TfL has also developed a comprehensive Health & Wellbeing strategy to help address mental and physical health concerns.
The total number of days of sick leave, broken down by the years requested are:
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21 (Periods 1-9)
Number of days sick leave
311,879
337,657
160,004
The attached table shows the number of sick leave taken by sickness type, broken down by the years requested.

The Mayor: Attachments
4615 Sick Leave table attachment.pdf

Use of force disciplinary action

Unmesh Desai: How many Met police officers have received formal or informal disciplinary action, or been dismissed, as a result of an incorrect use of force in each of the last four years?

The Mayor: The table below shows the different outcomes to disciplinary action over an inappropriate use of force over the last four years, recognising where there have been changes in the regulations.
The table below shows the different types of informal action and formal action (including dismissal). Informal action usually takes the form of management action or practice requiring improvement; this can range from the officer’s line manager giving them advice on how to improve, further training or the formulation of an action plan. Formal action would constitute a written warning, final written warning or dismissal.
Under the February 2020 reforms to the police complaints and misconduct systems there is now a broader requirement to maintain a record of those instances where a line manager has been required to take informal disciplinary action. The Reflective Practice Review Process (RPRP) was introduced as part of those reforms. It is designed to be a way of dealing with relatively low-level misconduct or performance issues in a proportionate way.
These figures do not include individual learning points and action plans, for example, that line managers may have identified and will implement as part of officer development. This action is not formally recorded under the regulations.
Outcome
2017
2018
2019
2020
Management Action
29
30
27
57
Other Action - Informal Action by Line Manager
n/a
n/a
n/a
36
Reflective Practice
n/a
n/a
n/a
14
Total Informal Action
29
30
27
107
Formal Action
57
50
59
30
Officers Subject to Formal
Action & Dismissed
12
9
9
0

Supporting Young People Jobs & Training (1)

Joanne McCartney: What can young Londoners in Enfield & Haringey expect from you in terms of training and job support during this extremely difficult time?

The Mayor: Through my £45m Young Londoners Fund I am supporting four projects in each borough—both reaching more than 6,000 young Londoners. Haringey Community Gold offers a range of activities including a careers service for black and ethnic minority 16-21 year-olds, and an upskilling programme for young offenders. Inspiring Young Enfield offers activities including a 12-week community leadership training, employability skills, and business start-up support. Additionally, the Mentoring Plus project offers support for young people from across Haringey and Enfield to stay engaged in training through group and 1:1 mentoring and therapeutic support.
Through the Adult Education Budget, I am making £25m available tosupport London’s recovery missions. This will include a £10m grant award fundfocused on training, education, and employability support for 19+ Londoners to gain skills to move into good work in sectors key to London’s recovery.I have also made an extra £1.9m available this academic year for the delivery of high value courses, sector-based work academies and London Recovery Programmes, which will help to improve employment outcomes for young Londoners.

Mayor’s May 2017 Call to First Group CEO about “the video of a Tram Operations Limited (TOL) driver obtained by the Evening Standard”

Keith Prince: Please provide me with all minutes, briefing materials, communications (including emails and handwritten notes), decisions and follow-up actions connected with the discussion the Mayor had with First Group CEO Tim O’Toole about “the video of a Tram Operations Limited (TOL) driver obtained by the Evening Standard” referred to in O’Toole’s letter to the Mayor dated 25 May 2017 (Ref: TOT/SB/Lett. 0027) released in Question 2019/17340.

The Mayor: No written records relating to the meeting are held. As you are aware, Tim O’Toole subsequently wrote to me by way of follow up.

Supporting Young People Jobs & Training (2)

Joanne McCartney: In order to deal with the increasing need for training and job support for young Londoners are you asking the Government for further resources; if so, what?

The Mayor: My submission to the Comprehensive Spending Review outlined the resources I am seeking to support Londoners, including young people. My core ask is a devolved, multi-year funding settlement to support integrated skills, work and education systems. More resources are essential, but they also need to be directed locally.
In the absence of a devolved package I have urged Government to double the Adult Education Budget (19+) to £640m in London in order to meet growing demand. I am also seeking commitment to continued devolved skills capital funding, a regional uplift to apprenticeship creation incentives, and the introduction of maintenance support so that Londoners can afford to access education and training.
I have also stressed that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund must be allocated based on a fair measure of need and that we retain at least as much as current EU and local programme funding. Londoners mustn’t lose out.

The Coronavirus Regulations (2)

Peter Whittle: To ask the Mayor if the demonstration held at the Nigerian High Commission at the corner of Northumberland Avenue and Great Scotland Yard on the afternoon of Saturday 24 October was compliant with the terms of its risk assessment, government guidelines and whether the demonstrators maintained social distancing. If this was not the case, could you please explain what fines were handed to the organisers by the Metropolitan Police.

The Mayor: There were two protests on 24th October 2020 which were organised to highlight current tensions in Nigeria.
Both groups engaged with police, put appropriate mitigations in place and adhered to their respective risk assessments, which were submitted ahead of time. No FPNs were issued to anyone participating in either protest.

GLA Job Titles

Susan Hall: For the GLA, how many job roles have at least one of the words, equality, diversity or inclusion in the job title broken down by pay grade?

The Mayor: Post
Unit
Post Grade
Manager, Equality and Fairness
Communities and Social Policy
Grade 11
Policy and Projects Officer Equality and Fairness
Communities and Social Policy
Grade 7
Senior Policy Officer Diversity in the Creative Workforce
Culture and Creative Industries
Grade 9
Workforce Equality Diversity and Inclusion Manager
Human Resources and Organisational Development
Grade 10
Equalities Diversity and Inclusion Adviser
Human Resources and Organisational Development
Grade 8
Principal Advisor Access and Inclusion
Planning
Grade 9

Tube Drivers and PPE

David Kurten: Can you assure me that all drivers on the London Underground are satisfactorily equipped with the necessary personal protective equipment to enable them to carry out their jobs safely?

The Mayor: As part of Transport for London’s (TfL’s) response to the coronavirus pandemic, London Underground train operators have been provided with the necessary equipment to protect themselves and others from the virus. This includes the provision of Type IIR face masks, face visors (worn based on personal choice), and personally issued hand-sanitiser. TfL has also enhanced its cleaning regime, including in specific areas train operators work, and testing in recent months by Imperial College London has found no traces of coronavirus on TfL’s network.
In addition, TfL has adapted train operator working practices and environments, for example train crew depots, where required to ensure they can maintain social distancing wherever possible. For a small number of activities where social distancing is not always possible, such as training within the cab environment, TfL has put appropriate controls in place to protect people’s health. In-cab training is currently suspended given the present rise in coronavirus cases.

Brexit-related project spending

Susan Hall: How much have you spent on Brexit-related projects since May 2016? Please give a breakdown of how much money you have given to each project each year and whether you fully or partially funded it.

The Mayor: Further to my response to MQ 2020/2810:
Brexit-related project
Expenditure
Funding
The impact on London’s economy of Brexit, an economic forecasting impact study of Brexit scenarios.
2016/17 -
2017/18 £42,273
2018/19 -
2019/20 -
2020/21 -
GLA
London Resilience Forum – coordinating local resilience plans for a potential no deal Brexit.
2016/17 -
2017/18 -
2018/19 £76,086
2019/20 £158,200
2020/21 -
MHCLG
Supporting EU Londoners -providing guidance, support and information on the EU Settled Status Scheme, including translated material.
2016/17 -
2017/18 -
2018/19 £117,564
2019/20 £152,245
2020/21 £165,000
(allocated)
GLA
Brexit Business Resource Hub and London, Hertfordshire and South East LEP Growth Hub Cluster – support for small businesses to prepare for different Brexit scenarios.
2016/17 -
2017/18 -
2018/19 £20,000
2019/20 £424,579
2020/21 £255,550 (allocated)
£618,129 funded by the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy

London & Partners Brexit preparedness

Caroline Russell: Since 2017 the GLA has funded London & Partners’ teams in Paris, Berlin, Bangalore, Shenzhen, Toronto and Chicago to help with London’s Brexit preparedness. What has happened to these teams since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020?

The Mayor: London & Partners established teams in Paris, Berlin, Bangalore, Shenzhen, Toronto and Chicago to diversify their inward investment pipeline in a broader range of markets as well as to mitigate any possible negative impacts around Brexit.
The teams in these cities have continued to operate since the pandemic, playing an important role supporting London’s economic recovery. Since they were set up, these teams have delivered almost 400 jobs, worth £20m in economic benefit, with an expected further £17m in economic value in the pipeline for the next 15 months.

Cycling KSIs

Keith Prince: How many cycling KSIs have there been on London’s roads for every month from January 2015 to the present day?

The Mayor: The table below shows the number of people killed or seriously injured whilst cycling by month between January 2015 and July 2020, the latest information available.. Please note that 2020 data is provisional and likely to change. Changes in the number of cyclists injured should be seen in the context of an increase in cycling over several years. Figures for the number of serious injuries prior to September 2016 are not directly comparable with recent data as a result of improved reporting of injury severity by the police.
Month
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Jan
27*
34*
37
44
52
49
Feb
20*
24*
46
42
55
48
Mar
34*
24*
74
43
66
46
Apr
29*
40*
52
51
52
29
May
43*
36*
74
95
89
68
Jun
45*
38*
76
97
67
82
Jul
43*
38*
61
89
90
120
Aug
27*
41*
37
84
71
n/a
Sep
32*
44
55
70
73
n/a
Oct
29*
41
75
82
60
n/a
Nov
39*
60
64
54
47
n/a
Dec
19*
34
34
31
56
n/a
More details on our Road Danger Reduction pages at https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/road-safety

50,000 affordable new homes (4)

Susan Hall: Of the total houses built since your press release “Mayor strikes deal for 50,000 affordable new homes”, are just under 32,000 a combination of your London Living Rent & Shared Ownership schemes as you pledged in 2017?

The Mayor: The GLA Published Statistics shows information about the housing delivery by tenure for AH 2016-23 programmes. The statistics show that a total of 20,397 homes started to the end of Sept 2020 were for London Living Rent & Shared Ownership schemes. A further 1,687 LLR/SR homes have started on site through other programmes

50,000 affordable new homes (3)

Susan Hall: Of the total houses built since your press release “Mayor strikes deal for 50,000 affordable new homes”, have 17,500 been available to rent at social levels, as you promised?

The Mayor: The GLA Published Statistics shows information about the housing delivery by tenure for AH 2016-23 programmes. The statistics show that a total of 13,888 homes started to the end of Sept 2020 were at social rent levels. The number of homes at SR levels delivered through my AH 16-23 programmes is 2.5 time more than the levels achieved in the previous two programmes combined (AH 15-18 and AH 11-15).

Impact of Brexit Deal

Navin Shah: What impact will the Brexit deal have on London’s already struggling businesses?

The Mayor: The last-minute UK-EU Brexit trade deal falls well short of what's best for London, the UK and our economy. It does not come close to the benefits we enjoyed as members of the European Union. All the evidence suggests this will hurt our growth, inward investment and jobs market.
Hundreds of thousands of businesses have been saddled with new red tape, paperwork and customs checks; with no adequate time to prepare, while the covid pandemic is peaking.UK-based banks have been forced to move more than £1trillion of assets, and thousands of jobs to other EU cities to avoid disruption. Professional services firms are now having to negotiate a patchwork of individual EU nations' regulations.
I will continue to do everything we can to help Londoners and businesses to deal with this challenging new reality; and information on steps to take can be found here: https://www.businesshub.london/

Debate over Covid-19 Risk Reduction Interventions

Keith Prince: When will you provide me with the documentation you promised to send me in your 5 October response to Question 2020/2694?

The Mayor: Transport for London has advised that, following further investigation, there is no documentation in relation to your question. This is because it shared the latest information and guidance with bus operators on conference calls, as this was the quickest and easiest means of dealing with a rapidly changing situation. The verbal debate included speculation on changes that might come into effect, interventions in other cities, and how London might modify its approach. It was agreed to follow the latest Public Health England (PHE) advice at every stage and this helped the bus network have a common approach to risk interventions.
I am sorry that you have had to follow up this question and you were not informed of this directly

Vision Zero action on in-car distractions

Caroline Russell: Recent research suggests that new in-car entertainment, navigation and communication systems that connect to mobile phones, such as Apple CarPlay, cause greater distraction and danger. Findings from the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) found a 53 to 57 per cent increase in reaction time from these systems. Will you use your communication channels to educate drivers about these serious safety risks, and will you engage with vehicle manufacturers and technology companies to ensure they act to reduce them?

The Mayor: I have set out my Vision Zero ambition for London to eliminate deaths and serious injuries from London’s streets. As part of this, it is essential that we focus on the sources of risk and that drivers take their responsibilities seriously in the interests of their own and everyone else’s safety. This includes remaining focused when driving and avoiding distractions that can impair driving performance, hazard perception and reaction time.
I’m aware that many transport professions utilise technology but expect all drivers to ensure they use this technology in accordance with the law.
The research you refer to adds to a growing body of evidence on the potential of various factors to distract drivers. Transport for London (TfL) is currently developing a communications plan that challenges Londoners’ attitudes to road danger and risk-taking on the roads, and will ensure that research such as this feeds into its planning.
You will be aware that standards for vehicle design and performance are set at a national and international level, but TfL will continue to make representations to Government and the wider automotive industry to promote the effective use of a wide range of safety technologies that can reduce risk to drivers and the vulnerable road users with whom they share space.

Brexit Business Hub Funding

Susan Hall: How much funding was allocated to the Brexit Business Hub for each year since its creation?

The Mayor: In October 2018 I launched my Brexit Business Resource Hub to help London businesses to prepare for Brexit challenges. The hub itself required no additional funding, as it was hosted on the existing London Growth Hub website. Instead some funding was put towards workshops, advice clinics and events that helped small businesses to prepare for Brexit. This was met principally through funds provided by the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which required the GLA to support small businesses across the London, South East and Hertfordshire local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) specifically on Brexit preparedness:
2018/19 £20,000
2019/20 £424,579
2020/21 £255,550
For 2019-20, £369,579 was provided by BEIS and includes the costs of activities that supported small businesses across all three LEP regions.
For 2020-21, £248,550 was provided by BEIS to support small businesses to adapt to new trading rules following the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020.

Police recommendations from Hackney Account research (1)

Siân Berry: The Hackney Account group’s research report, Policing in Hackney: challenges from youth 2020, published in December 2020 (https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d234a046f941b0001dd1741/t/5f77795b9e2fdb6bf67d3c7d/1601665467995/Final+Draft+-+Report+-+Account+%28Online%29.pdf), makes a number of recommendations for improved policing, including this on the Territorial Support Group: “a meaningful independent evaluation of the TSG is urgently needed. This evaluation must include a detailed review carried out by academic researchers, community partners and independent police expertise (such as ex-police officers). The review should be supervised by the Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime (MOPAC) and contain actionable public recommendations with a commitment to reform from the MPS.” What is your response to this recommendation?

The Mayor: My Office for Policing and Crime is aware of the recommendations from the Policing in Hackney report.
My Action Plan – Transparency, Accountability and Trust in Policing, responds to the continued frustrations of Black Londoners, who are concerned about the disproportionate use of some police powers. It is simply not right that Black Londoners have less trust and confidence in our police service and it is something I am determined to resolve.
There is no question that our police officers work extremely hard to keep us safe and the Met has made improvements to become a police service more reflective of the city it serves. But more must be done to properly recognise and address the impact that some police tactics used disproportionately on Black people is having.
We need all communities in London to have trust in the use of police powers as the Met goes about the vital work of tackling crime. As a result, the whole city will be a safer place for all Londoners.

London - Major Incident

Shaun Bailey: What tangible differences will occur as a result of you declaring a major incident in London?

The Mayor: The Mayor declared a major incident because the threat the COVID-19 virus poses to London is at crisis point. Without further action the NHS could have be overwhelmed and more people will die. A major incident is “beyond the scope of business-as-usual operations, and is likely to involve serious harm, damage, disruption or risk to human life or welfare, essential services, the environment or national security”. London has reached this level and the announcement raises public awareness and ensures the best possible sharing of resources.
Responders had already been working closely through the arrangements of the London Resilience Partnership’s Strategic Coordination Protocol since September of last year. The declaration prompted Partners to review their own arrangements and has already heightenedinformation sharing and support between partners. The declaration received national and international press coverage, reinforcing the message to Londoners that they must follow COVID regulations.

Safer Neighbourhood Boards (2)

Steve O'Connell: If a decision on Safer Neighbourhood Board funding for 2021-22 has not yet been made, when is it expected?

The Mayor: You will be aware that as part of my Action Plan for Transparency, Accountability and Trust in Policing, I have committed to working with communities to overhaul London’s community-police engagement structures. I am, of course, mindful that the existing mechanisms, including Safer Neighbourhood Boards, will continue to function in the interim period and will need some support to do so within the more limited parameters of operation due to COVID. The 2021/22 funding decision will be formally approved as soon as possible.

Police recommendations from Hackney Account research (2)

Siân Berry: The Hackney Account group’s research report, Policing in Hackney: challenges from youth 2020, launched in December 2020 (https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d234a046f941b0001dd1741/t/5f77795b9e2fdb6bf67d3c7d/1601665467995/Final+Draft+-+Report+-+Account+%28Online%29.pdf), makes a number of recommendations for improved policing, including that the Basic Command Unit (BCU) covering Hackney signs up to the Home Office Best Use of Stop and Search (BUSS) scheme. Which BCUs across London are currently signed up to this scheme, and will you ensure that all of them do this?

The Mayor: All MPS BCU’s, including Hackney, are signed up to the Home Office Best use of Stop and Search scheme. The original scheme launched in 2014 was amended in 2019.

TfL Pension Fund Trustees (2)

Shaun Bailey: Will you urge TfL Pension Fund trustees to divest in companies complicit in human right abuses, in the same way you have asked them to divest of fossil fuel investments?

The Mayor: I condemn the horrific human rights abuses against the Uighur population by the Chinese government and am committed to supporting efforts to challenge the Chinese authorities.
Although I have no direct control over investment decisions made by the Transport for London (TfL) Pension Fund, who are independent of TfL and myself, I have made my views clear to the Fund
As a first step, My Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor for Transport met with the Chair of the TfL Pension Fund and Chair of the Fund’s Investment Committee last month to convey my concern and discuss what steps can be taken to enhance Human Rights due diligence on their investments.

50,000 affordable new homes (2)

Susan Hall: Of the houses built since your press release “Mayor strikes deal for 50,000 affordable new homes”, has each London borough and the City of London benefitted, as you pledged?

The Mayor: The GLA Published Statistics includes a table showing housing delivery across the London boroughs. A total of 45,989 homes started on site from 2017 onwards, the vast majority of which will be via the AH 2016-23 programmes.

Responses to Freedom of Information and Subject Action Requests by the Met

Caroline Pidgeon: Please provide details of how many Subject Access Requests and Freedom of Information Requests the Met has received in each year since 2016 broken down by i) month, and ii) the type of request (SAR or FOI) and how many of these were i) responded to within the statutory time limit, ii) responded to late.

The Mayor: The answer can be found on the MPS website where we publish this data https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/
There is a performance report for both aspects of data law.

Mayor's Budget

Shaun Bailey: How much was the Mayor’s Office budget for each year since May 2016?

The Mayor: The budget for the Mayor’s Office for each financial year from 2016-17 to 2020-21 is as follows:
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19
2019-20
2020-21 (AS AT Q3)
£4.0m
£5.1m
£6.0m
£5.3m
£5.3m

50,000 affordable new homes (1)

Susan Hall: Your press release of 13/07/17, entitled “Mayor strikes deal for 50,000 affordable new homes” made reference to your deal for 49,398 genuinely affordable homes to be built over the following 4 years, in all London boroughs and the City of London.

How many have been started and how many have been completed?

The Mayor: The GLA Published Statistics shows information about the housing delivery for AH 2016-23 programmes. The statistics show that a total of 41,614 homes started on site to the end of Sept 2020 and 11,987 homes were completed. This includes homes delivered from the initial allocations listed in the press release from July 2017.

Restorative Justice for Londoners (1)

Susan Hall: Further to the launch of your £1.3m restorative justice programme, Restore: London in November 2017, what evidence is there to date that the police and criminal justice agencies are living up to the Victims’ Code of Practice?

The Mayor: The 2019 Review of Compliance with the Victims Code of Practice (VCOP), undertaken by MOPAC and led by the Independent Victims’ Commissioner for London, Claire Waxman, identified that victims’ awareness of the possibility of restorative justice (RJ) was low. The review recommended that all agencies in contact with victims of crime should ensure that information on restorative justice is provided to victims throughout the criminal justice journey.
The Restore:London service ended in 2019 and RJ services are now provided as part of the integrated London Victim and Witness Service (LVWS). Under the LVWS model, victims’ case handlers are trained to make victims aware of RJ and offer this service when appropriate. The RJ service provider within the LVWS has also undertaken extensive engagement with the police and criminal justice agencies to raise awareness of RJ and support them in better meeting their VCOP responsibilities with regard to RJ.

New Years’ Celebrations

Peter Whittle: To ask the Mayor, how much in fines was handed out by the Metropolitan Police to Londoners celebrating the New Year? Commander Paul Brogden, leading this year’s operation, said: ‘We are still dealing with the stark reality of fighting a deadly virus. Although the New Year is almost upon us, now is not the time for complacency or to meet with others and hold parties of any kind. If people insist on gathering and breaching regulations, then officers will attend and encourage people to disperse. Where necessary, enforcement action, including fines starting at £100 and working their way up to £10,000, will be considered. Please welcome in 2021 from the comfort of your own home instead of being stuck in central London with nothing to see and no easy way of getting home.’1

1https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/politics/13614538/police-new-year-parties-fines-stay-home/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=sunpoliticstwitter&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1609415674

The Mayor: It is not possible to provide the value of fines for Londoners who celebrated the New Year.
I am pleased that as Commander Brogden reported the vast majority of Londoners complied with the Covid regulations that are in place to protect themselves and their loved ones.

Unconscious Bias Training (1)

Susan Hall: Can you provide a per-directorate breakdown of the cost of providing unconscious bias training within the GLA itself over the last two years?

The Mayor: The GLA launched the Inclusive GLA programme, which covered unconscious bias learning as one element of the programme, to help build a more inclusive culture. In line with best practice the programme involved multiple learning interventions including e-learning, manager training and team workshops, and so some staff will have completed more than one type of unconscious bias learning.
As the various learning interventions contained some elements covering unconscious bias and others exploring different topics related to creating an inclusive GLA, it is not possible to isolate the cost of providing just unconscious bias training.
Additionally, as the programme was corporately coordinated and for the whole organisation (including the London Assembly), we do not have costs broken down by directorate, and teams will have completed elements of the programme at different times. Therefore, we have provided the total costs of the Inclusive GLA programme per year.
2019/20
The total spend on Inclusive GLA interventions including e-learning, manager training workshops, team workshops and senior leadership coaching in the financial year 2019/20 was £108,050.
2020/21
The total spend to date on Inclusive GLA interventions including e-learning, manager training workshops, team workshops and senior leadership coaching in the financial year 2020/21 is £22,937.

ULEZ Expansion Awareness (2)

Keith Prince: If the expansion of the ULEZ were to go ahead in October 2021, what percentage of Londoners do you believe ought to have been made aware of the expansion ahead of it happening?

The Mayor: Please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2020/4607. Transport for London is undertaking an extensive multi-channel advertising campaign to prepare Londoners and drivers for the expansion, including radio adverts, customer emails, posters across the public transport and road networks and the distribution of over 600,000 leaflets to households near the expanded boundary.

London Business Hub Support

Susan Hall: How many businesses has the London Business Hub supported since its creation? Please give a breakdown of which borough the businesses are located in and the size of the businesses.

The Mayor: Since its inception my London Business Hub has supported 3,765 businesses and engaged with nearly 7,000 businesses. Up until November 2019 the London Business Hub delivered mainly light touch interventions such as seminars and events and didn’t capture full business data. In 2019, my officers secured additional funding that has allowed the London Business Hub to provide more intensive support, for which we have fuller data on business size and location. Since 2019, 1472 businesses have received medium or high intensity support. The breakdown by the five top recipient’s boroughs is: Westminster 10%, Camden 8%, Islington 7%, Hackney 6% and Southwark 5%; For full borough breakdown please see table attached. Businesses also can access support via the London Business Hub portal and from its inception in 2016 to December 2020 the site has had 273,058unique users.
All businesses supported by the London Business Hub are micro, Small and Medium size Enterprises (SMEs). An SME is defined as a business with less than 250 employees and a turnover of less of €50m, whilst a micro business employees less than 10 employees. Whilst the London Business Hub supports SMEs of all sizes, most firms that we engage with a micro business.
Annex
London Borough
Total
%
Barking and Dagenham
13
1%
Bexley
5
0%
Brent
37
3%
Bromley
19
1%
Camden
121
8%
City of London
56
4%
Croydon
53
4%
Ealing
32
2%
Enfield
34
2%
Greenwich
44
3%
Hackney
82
6%
Hammersmith and Fulham
51
3%
Haringey
62
4%
Harrow
33
2%
Havering
13
1%
Hillingdon
14
1%
Hounslow
37
3%
Islington
104
7%
Kensington and Chelsea
39
3%
Kingston upon Thames
14
1%
Lambeth
73
5%
Lewisham
36
2%
Merton
11
1%
Newham
37
3%
Redbridge
21
1%
Richmond upon Thames
30
2%
Southwark
75
5%
Tower Hamlets
73
5%
Waltham Forest
45
3%
Wandsworth
63
4%
Westminster
145
10%
Grand Total
1472

MPS counselling services

Susan Hall: For each of the years 2018, 2019 and 2020, how many personnel used MPS counselling services broken down by police officers, staff, and specials?

The Mayor: The number of Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) personnel using MPS Counselling Services over the last three years is set out in the table below.
Year
Officers
Staff (including PCSO)
MSC (specials)
Undisclosed (* EAP)
Total
2018
410
123
0
0
533
2019
582
174
8
292
1056
2020
596
207
8
259
1070
* Confidential referral via Employee Assistance Programme

Congestion Charge Reduction

Shaun Bailey: What is your current timeline for reducing the increase in the congestion charge which you increased to £15?

The Mayor: On 22 June, temporary changes to the Congestion Charge were introduced. These were brought forward in accordance with TfL’s first funding agreement with Government. The second funding agreement in October 2020, committed to maintaining, as a continuing response to the coronavirus pandemic, the current temporary changes to the Congestion Charge for the H2 funding period, which runs until 31 March 2021.
Beyond the end of this financial year it is realistic to assume that they are likely to be needed until at least the autumn. We need to ensure that we don’t have a recovery which is defined by people using their cars to travel into central London more and we need to assess how people change their travel patterns as restrictions are lifted. TfL will keep this under review, taking into account important milestones in the pandemic response, or significant changes in circumstance. If TfL think that that any of the temporary changes should become permanent, there would be a full public consultation.

London Business Hub Spending

Susan Hall: How much money have you spent on the London Business Hub to date and how much funding has been allocated for future years?

The Mayor: Since the inception of the London Business Hub in 2016, up to the end of quarter three 2020/21, the expenditure on the London Growth Hub has been £5m. The funding from BEIS is £3.1m, European Regional Development Fund £1.3m, LEAP’s Growing Places Fund £329K, and Greater London Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) 200K. Expenditure covers salaries, maintenance of the web portal, face-to-face business support activity and the establishment of five physical hubs across London.
For the remainder of 2020/21 financial year, the London Business Hub has allocated £1.6m, which includes additional funding that my officers secured from BEIS and ERDF to support businesses through Covid-19 and Brexit. For 2021/22 we have £1.9m from ERDF, £90K from LEAP core funds and £430k from GLA SIF. My officers currently await confirmation of funding from BEIS for 2021/22.

Retired Police Officers

Shaun Bailey: When did the retired police officer scheme announced in 2020 officially open and has it ended? How many retired police officers joined under this scheme?

The Mayor: The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Return Scheme launched in October 2018 to coincide with a significant uplift in police officer numbers. The scheme was open for officers within 12 months of their retirement age or those who had left the organisation within two years.
In March 2020, to coincide with the onset of COVID-19, the Commissioner extended the offer to officers who had retired from the MPS within five years.
Since the Oct 18 launch, 191 officers have returned under the scheme. The scheme is currently paused due to the excellent recruitment pipeline and will be reviewed in 2021.

Community Speedwatch programmes (1)

Caroline Pidgeon: If boroughs wanted to fund Community Speedwatch Online programmes in certain areas would you and the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime support this?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) and the Metropolitan Police Service’s (MPS) Roads and Transport Policing Command recognise the value of empowering local communities to take direct action in tackling road danger and anti-social driving in their local areas and they put significant resources in place to support this delivery. Community Roadwatch sessions give residents the opportunity to work side by side with their local transport police teams and use calibrated police speed detection equipment to identify speeding vehicles in their communities. Warning letters are issued to speeding drivers and information is entered onto police systems, which informs future police enforcement deployments.
Currently, we consider this to be the best model for London as it is fully integrated within the work of the Roads and Transport Policing Command (RTPC) who lead on road danger reduction in the MPS, which is well received by the community volunteers. We are making improvements to the back office to make it more efficient and to increase the number of sessions that the RTPC can support.
We would encourage boroughs to contact the RTPC if they are interested in running sessions in their areas through their local MPS Safer Transport Team or email [emailprotected]

Taxi and Private Hire Trade and Covid-19

David Kurten: Given that black cabs have a built-in partition separating the driver from passengers, do you consider that i) black cabs, ii) private hire vehicles, are safe environments for passengers to travel in with relation to Covid-19?

The Mayor: The Government has said that the single most important action we can all take is to stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives. People should not leave or be outside their home except where they have a ‘reasonable excuse’ and any activity that brings them into contact with other people, from outside their household, should be avoided where possible.
The Government has permitted taxi and private hire services to operate throughout the pandemic to assist those people who are legally permitted reason to travel.
Transport for London(TfL)has issuedextensive guidance to taxi and private hire licensees, in the form ofTPH Notices,on how to keep themselves and their passengers as safe as possible. This coverspersonal and vehicle hygiene as well as instructions to private hire operators and taxi apps on safety advice to provide to passengers in the booking process and before their journey, including to sit as far away from the driver as possible.
The Governmenthas made it a legal requirement for taxi and private hire passengers to wear a facecovering at all timeswhen in the vehicle, unless exempt.TfLalsoalways expects taxi and private hire drivers to also wear a facecovering when in their licensed vehicle, unlessthey are exempt.
TfL hasundertaken acampaignto raise awareness of the steps licensees can take to keep themselves and their passengers as safe as possible. TfL has made available 1.5 million face masks, 30,000 bottles of Dettol hand sanitiser andstickers to be displayed in vehicles reassuring passengers that their driver is ‘COVID prepared’.Driversare encouraged to watch a short, informative video showing them how to clean their vehicleafter each passenger has been safely dropped off and at the end their shift.
Takingall ofthese steps will make travelling in a taxi or private hire vehicle as safe as possible at this difficult time.

Police Officers Obscuring Their Identity

David Kurten: Why did the Territorial Support Group police officers who conducted the arrest of Dr Heiko Schöning at Speakers' Corner at Hyde Park on the afternoon of 26 September 2020 cover their name tags and numbers - clipping their phones over them, or cover them with their tabards. Given its own unhappy history with this particular issue, the Metropolitan Police will be particularly aware why uniformed police officers on public order duties must be capable of being identified at all times. The alleged re-appearance of this practice is highly disappointing. Who authorised it and why?

The Mayor: It is not appropriate for me to comment on individual cases.
Officers are expected to always maintain the standards of professional behaviour. Should the actions of police officers give rise to concern it is recommended that the affected member of the public complain to the Metropolitan Police Service (https://www.met.police.uk/fo/feedback/tc/thanks-and-complaints/) or the Independent Office for Police Conduct (https://policeconduct.gov.uk/complaints-reviews-and-appeals/make-complaint), where any incident can be properly considered.

Daylight Saving Time

Tony Devenish: What research into the impact of daylight saving time on Londoners’ health have you and your health team conducted?

The Mayor: My health team have not conducted research on the impact daylight-saving time may have on the health outcomes of Londoners.
If this is a topic that the Assembly have information on that they think should be considered as part of our remit on health inequalities, then please do share with the team.

Supermarket business rate relief return in London

Murad Qureshi: National supermarket chains have returned their business rate relief during the pandemic. Tesco for example returned over £500m. How much of this return business rate relief came from London supermarkets?
Would it not be better to redistribute this to local independent businesses in London and particularly tenants of business rate payers who did not receive any business rate relief at all?

The Mayor: I welcomed the decision by several supermarkets to repay the hundreds of millions of pounds they savedas result of thebusiness rates holiday. The data are not available as supermarkets and other stores repaying their relief are paying the sums direct toGovernment.
Throughout the pandemic I have continued to press Government to provide more support for London’s businesses who have been worst affected by the restrictions. The Government should put the money returned by supermarkets to good use by providingadditional support to businesses hardest hit by the pandemic such as those in the retail, hospitality and cultural sectors’
Whilst the 12 month freeze on business rates for 2021 tax year is welcome, the Government mustalsogo further to prevent catastrophic business losses. Businessesurgentlyneed the certainty of an extension of the business rates holiday to the next financial year.

Hammersmith and Fulham Bridge

Leonie Cooper: How much has the Government spent so far on the plans/repairs for the bridge?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) spent £16.7m up to the end of October 2020 on investigations, monitoring, early works and developing detailed plans for the different stages of the bridge repairs, together with the temporary pedestrian and cycle bridge.
As part of TfL’s funding agreement with the government for the second half of the current financial year, £4m has been allocated to Hammersmith Bridge. This is being used by TfL to pay for the pedestal casing removal and blast cleaning to reveal the full extent of the damage on the bridge, as well as finalising the designs for the next stages of work. Separate funding has also been made available as part of TfL’s agreement with government to urgently progress a temporary ferry for pedestrians and cyclists while the bridge is being repaired.
The Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce, chaired by Baroness Vere of the Department for Transport, has yet to agree how the next stages of the repairs will be funded.

Stalking (1)

Tony Devenish: An article published by the CPS on 4th December 2020 shows that 84 per cent of stalking cases involved complaints against ex-partners and three-quarters reported domestic abuse had previously occurred during the relationship. What are you doing as Mayor to tackle this in London?

The Mayor: Through my £15m additional investment in VAWG, I fund services to support victims of stalking and address the behaviour of perpetrators. This includes London’s Stalking Threat Assessment Centre (S-TAC) and the London Stalking Support Service (LSSS).
LSSS focuses on delivering non-crisis support to all victims of stalking behaviour in London, meeting the needs of victims through specialist advocacy support. It also operates a London based helpline and an online interactive platform.
S-TAC is a multi-agency unit (police, mental health, probation, advocacy) that targets high risk stalking perpetrators and provides intensive co-ordinated interventions to tackle and/or change their behaviour and keep victims safe. On average 70% of referrals received are domestic abuse related, with approximately 60% of these stalking offences perpetrated by an ex-intimate partner.
Both services work together to ensures victims receive the level of support they need.

Stalking (2)

Tony Devenish: In an article published by the CPS on 4th December 2020, data from the National Stalking Helpline found that 100 per cent of reports involved some form of digital stalking. What are you doing as Mayor to tackle this in London?

The Mayor: I fully recognise the prevalence of both stalking and more specifically, digital stalking, and I appreciate the impact this behaviour and abuse has on victims.
Through my £15m additional investment in VAWG, I currently fund a range of services to support victims of stalking and address the behaviour of perpetrators. This includes the London Stalking Support Service (LSSS) and London’s Stalking Threat Assessment Centre (S-TAC).
These services work together to support all victims of all forms of stalking in London, with S-TAC also specifically targeting high risk perpetrators by providing intensive co-ordinated interventions to tackle and/or change their behaviour.
I eagerly await the government’s upcoming Online Safety Bill and encourage them to include measures to tackle this. I will continue to lobby to ensure victims are afforded the protection they need online.

Crossrail Complaints Commissioner (1)

Caroline Pidgeon: Following the governance of Crossrail being transferred entirely to TfL please state how the Crossrail Complaints Commissioner will be able to operate in investigating and raising grievances of individuals and businesses? How will the issues that the Crossrail Complaints Commissioner raises be regularly brought to the attention of the TfL Elizabeth Line Committee and TfL Board members?

The Mayor: The changes to the governance arrangements for the Crossrail project will have no impact on the work the Crossrail Complaints Commissioner undertakes. He will remain in place throughout the remaining construction period and will continue to take up matters on behalf of individuals and businesses in exactly the same way as under the previous arrangement. The only change is that the Crossrail Complaints Commissioner’s reports will now be considered by the Elizabeth Line Committee and not at the High-Level Forum.

Oakley Street Traffic Issues (2)

Tony Devenish: Will you commit to up to date traffic monitoring of the Chelsea Embankment?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) is currently monitoring the temporary improvements which were made to Cycle Superhighway 8 along Chelsea Embankment during summer 2020. TfL’s monitoring will enable it to evaluate the scheme for all road users, including motor traffic.

GLA Group Press Officer Spending

Shaun Bailey: How much money has the GLA Group spent on press officers since May 2016? Please give a breakdown by organisation and amount.

The Mayor: The table below set out this information.
GLA
LFC
LLDC
MOPAC
OPDC
TfL
1 May 2016 – 31 Mar 2017
£1,204,000.00
£317,709.00
£114,794.03
£0.00
£0.00
£2,186,706.84
1 Apr 2017 – 31 Mar 2018
£1,262,000.00
£318,361.00
£140,532.71
£0.00
£0.00
£2,321,799.17
1 Apr 2018 – 31 Mar 2019
£1,379,000.00
£319,712.00
£117,891.37
£0.00
£0.00
£2,264,888.74
1 Apr 2019 – 31 Mar 2020
£1,417,000.00
£352,066.47
£115,141.72
£0.00
£0.00
£1,941,633.00
1 Apr 2020 – 31 Dec 2020
£1,024,000.00
£253,865.00
£79,026.48
£0.00
£0.00
£1,497,341.00
GLA
Under Section 67 (2) of the GLA Act 1999, the Mayor may appoint 13 staff. All other staff at the GLA are appointed by the Head of Paid Service, under the HoPS protocol.
The Mayor does not employ any Press Officers. All the current Press Officers at the GLA are HoPS appointees.
The above GLA figures include staff working in both the Mayor’s Press Office and in the Assembly Secretariat.
TFL
Transport for London’s (TfL’s) Press Office plays a crucial role in keeping London moving. It operates 24/7 to ensure that Londoners are informed, via the media, of operational incidents across the entire TfL transport network, answering hundreds of enquiries in a timely way each week. It also delivers campaigns to increase the use of public transport, walking and cycling, to reduce accidents on escalators and platforms, to reduce deaths and serious injuries on the roads and to encourage more people to report incidents of inappropriate sexual behaviour. It also plays a central role in coordinating TfL’s communications in times of crisis, including through the pandemic, and ensures that TfL’s customers and many stakeholders are kept informed of important developments on the transport network. It is also important to note that TfL is unique in that it is not just responsible for bus and metro services like many transport authorities but has much wider responsibilities including strategic highways, traffic signals, walking and cycling, local enforcement on the transport network, city planning, commercial property development, licensing, and advertising.
LFC
The media team at London Fire Brigade (LFB) operates a core press office operating from 8.30am to 5.30pm and a 24/7 out of hours press service. As well as responding to media queries, the media team warns and informs local communities during significant incidents such as large house fires, and campaigns on key issues to keep Londoners safe. This team includes1 x News Manager, 3 x Senior Communications Officers and 2 x Communications Officers. The total cost of the LFB media team is £352,066.47.
MOPAC
MOPAC does not employ any press officers. Through a shared services agreement, press office services have been provided to MOPAC by the central GLA press office since 2013, for which MOPAC pays an annual contribution of £87,000.
LLDC
The remit of LLDC press officers includes significant other responsibilities outside of press contact including digital and social media and other internal and external engagement work.
OPDC
OPDC has a small Communications and Engagement function, supported in handling media enquiries by the Mayor of London’s press team.

Cost of red route enforcement cameras

Caroline Russell: A constituent has been informed that it costs Transport for London (TfL) £500,000 to install a new camera to enforce restrictions on red routes. Is this cost accurate, and why are you not pursuing low-cost but effective means for keeping bus lanes and red routes clear, such as using footage from existing cameras on buses?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) follows standard legislation with regards to enforcement. The Department for Transport requires the recording and processing equipment to be an ‘approved device’. Cameras currently installed on buses do not fall within this category.
TfL is instead pursuing alternative methods of enforcement, for example through the Deployable Enforcement Camera project, which is currently in the early procurement phase. Early market engagement indicates that these cameras could be substantially cheaper to buy, install, operate and maintain as they do not require as much fixed communications infrastructure.
Currently, the installation costs for a new, fixed camera is an average of £50,000 per camera, not £500,000 as your constituent has stated. This includes all work including installation of the pole, camera, power, communications and equipment. Maintenance costs are on average £2,984 per camera per year.

Officer abstractions

Unmesh Desai: How many officers, if any, have been abstracted to Kent to help with the disruption to freight and any other issues caused by a) the coronavirus pandemic and b) due to Brexit? Please provide the dates and number of officers abstracted on each date for each purpose since the 20th December 2020 if possible.

The Mayor: The National Police Co-ordination Centre requested mutual aid from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to support Kent Police on two occasions (late December and early January). It is not possible to break this down by the categories requested.
The specific dates and number of officers abstracted are set out below.
Total No of officers.
23/12/2020
52
24/12/2020
22
25/12/2020
22
03/01/2021
17
04/01/2021
17
05/01/2021
17
06/01/2021
17

MD2527 on Crossrail Funding

Keith Prince: In the light of your Mayoral Decision MD2527, what possibilities are you considering to complete the funding of Crossrail should available funds prove insufficient?

The Mayor: The current Anticipated Final Crossrail Direct Cost forecast remains stable, with Crossrail’s higher risk scenarios continuing to show that up to £1.1bn of additional funding could be required to complete the works. However, Crossrail continues to work towards managing the costs as strictly as possible to the additional available funding of £825m. The project’s Sponsors, Transport for London and the Department for Transport, are also closely monitoring the project’s costs through a series of in-depth cost reviews.

Special Demonstration Squad

Andrew Dismore: What is the total paid in compensation so far to those affected by the activities of the Met’s Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) covert unit which spied on thousands of activists over its 40-year existence; and how many claims are outstanding?

The Mayor: The total compensation paid in respect of civil claims relating to the activities of the unit known as the SDS is £3,488,000. The MPS has received other civil claims and proposed claims, however It would be inappropriate to provide further detail on these ongoing matters.

Response times of ambulances

Caroline Pidgeon: What information is provided to TfL about the impact on the response times of ambulance vehicles from Streetspace and Low Traffic Neighbourhood initiatives? Is TfL specifically notified of ambulances that have missed ARP calls as a result of or attributed to Streetscapes and LTN schemes?

The Mayor: The London Ambulance Service share data on response times with TfL as part of TfL’s continuous engagement process with all the emergency services, so that TfL can ensure the road network operates effectively. TfL has encouraged feedback to highway authorities directly about any changes to response times resulting from borough-led schemes.
Any changes to response times can be the result of multiple factors, including changes to patterns of traffic flow as road user behaviour responds to the various Government restrictions associated with the pandemic response. TfL has worked with the emergency services and boroughs to issue design guidance, and has tweaked schemes were particular issues were flagged, such as ensuring enough spacing between “wands” used for cycle segregation to allow motorists to more easily pull out of the way of blue light response vehicles. TfL will continue to address any specific areas of concern as they are raised.

GLA Advertising

Shaun Bailey: Has any part of the GLA advertised in any local/regional newspapers since May 2016? If so please provide a breakdown of each campaign, cost, purpose and newspaper.

The Mayor: I have a duty to keep Londoners informed about and engaged in my work. It’s vital that Londoners know about the work of City Hall and the policies and initiatives that impact their lives and which they can benefit from. This includes making sure Londoners are aware of and can respond to statutory consultations or attend statutory events, such as People’s Question Time. It also includes making Londoners aware of wider opportunities including cultural events, programmes and services across the capital.
My teams work with our appointed media buying agency, Wavemaker to make strategic plans on how best to engage diverse groups of Londoners on these critical issues. On occasion, they advise that we should advertise in local papers as it is the most effective and impactful way to reach a specific audience group, particularly those who don’t access social media. This is further detailed in my previous answer to Question No:2020/4143. As per the response in this previous question,TfL and the GLA arecurrently in the process of re-procuring for the media buying provider they use. This means we cannot publish the list of titles with spend for each one as this is commercially sensitive information that would give bidders an advantage.
We have advertised in the following publications on the outlined issues:
Wavemaker has supplied the data below broken down by financial year. This table shows the cost of campaigns since financial year 16/17. Please note, there is a minor adjustment to the spend provided below sinceMQ 2020/4143in years 16/17 and 17/18, where spend was incorrectly categorised.
OPDC – Construction Infrastructure Levy
£4,820.40
Team London volunteering drive
£4,851.93
People’s Question Time
£3,297.39
Better Boiler Scheme
£2,827.10
London Power
£23,410.95
New mayoralty communications
£17,739.83
Mayoral Election (2016)
£13,728.98
Public notices
£18,125.10

Female Reoffending (3)

Susan Hall: In relation to your 2017 press release entitled "Mayor's £500,000 boost to services to tackle female reoffending", If the funding has contributed to a reduction in female reoffending in London, do you propose to release further funding? If so, when and what will be the amount of further funding?

The Mayor: My initial £500,000 funding, for the provision of enhanced women offender services, was for a period of 18 months. To test innovation further, and to build on success, the pilot scope was increased to develop wrap-around services, through the adoption of a Whole Systems Approach. To test this model, I committed a further £4.5million, through the London Crime Prevention Fund, by extending the pilot from April 2018 to March 2021. I have committed a further £1.6million to extend the pilot for another year, from April 2021 to March 2022, enabling Manchester Metropolitan University to conduct analysis of data captured to assess pilot impact on reoffending.

Copy of UCL Advice about Front-Door Boarding

Caroline Pidgeon: In your 8 July 2020 response to Question 2020/1624 you promised to send me an “interim summary from UCL later this summer”. When can I expect to receive this information?

The Mayor: I am sorry that this was not sent directly to you. I can confirm the report was published in November 2020 on the Transport for London website at http://content.tfl.gov.uk/sshrp20201104-item06-additional-information-ucl-report.pdf.